Game Face

A P.R. release of note:

2K Sports and the NHL will celebrate the launch of the highly anticipated hockey title, NHL 2K9, by offering fans an exclusive opportunity to play and purchase the video game at the “NHL Powered By Reebok” store a day before it becomes widely available at retail.

As part of the celebration, fans can register to take part in a NHL 2K9 single-elimination tournament on Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, with the finalist going head-to-head against NHL 2K9 cover athlete and Columbus Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash in the final elimination. First prize is a Nash-signed jersey and second prize is an autographed copy of NHL 2K9 on the winner’s choice of platform.

Beginning today, the first 100 customers who pre-order or purchase the game at the NHL store will get an exclusive NHL 2K9/NHL Powered by Reebok puck.

WHO: Rick Nash – three-time NHL All-Star, captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets and cover athlete for NHL 2K9

WHEN: Monday, September 8 @ 4pm – 7pm
(4pm-5pm registration, 5pm-7pm tournament)

WHERE: NHL Powered By Reebok store
1185 Avenue of the Americas, (6th Avenue at 47th Street)
New York, NY 10036

NOTE: The first 32 fans to register will receive a wristband that secures participation in the tournament. Registration is free and open to all ages. Fans under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

—Max

Andy Murray (6) versus Roger Federer (2) 2008 U.S. Open men’s singles final simulated with "Top Spin 3" (2K Sports) for the Nintendo Wii

The contestants enter Arthur Ashe Stadium. I'm playing as Roger Federer against a computer-controlled Andy Murray. (all photos by Max J. Dickstein)

First Set

Roger Federer opens as server. He comes out tight but blazing in the opening points. His serve is irregular, including one double-fault, but Federer cracks four Murray-yanking winners to take the game 40-15.
Federer leads 1-0

In Murray’s opening service game, Federer plays aggressively from the baseline, using both the forehand and backhand wings. He robs the serve advantage from Murray at 15-40 on the second break point.
Federer leads 2-0

Roger consolidates the early break at love, keeping the points short with near-line-painting drives to both sides of Murray’s court. Roger has now struck 11 winners against one error. Murray has one of each.
Federer leads 3-0

Federer is better by one star in each category.

The Swiss No. 2 again breaks Murray, who is apparently not gifted with speed enough to chase down Federer’s finishing strikes from the dry white paint of the baseline.
Federer leads 4-0

The 27-year-old Federer, who lost the No. 1 ranking to Spain’s Rafael Nadal Aug.18, holds at love. He begins to feel guilty for wondering whether Murray is doing an early-career impression of late-career Tim Henman. It was Federer, after all, who said after winning his 12th overall Grand Slam in New York last year that his greatest thrill was to beat younger guys who would challenge his dominance, such as 2007 U.S. Open runner-up Novak Djokovic. "New guys challenging me — this is my biggest motivation out there," Federer said then, having just turned back Djokovic in three sets in the 2007 U.S. Open final. "Seeing them challenging me, and then beating them in the finals." Murray, 21, certainly fits the mold of the young challenger to Federer. The 22-year-old Nadal, a five-time Grand Slam champion whom Murray beat to reach this final, is in another class than his young contemporaries — Federer has acknowledged that.
Federer leads 5-0

With more thunderous and precise ground strokes that are impossible for to reach for scurrying Murray, Federer breaks his opponent at love. At first set’s end, with 22 winners against two errors), the four-time defending U.S. Open champion owns a winner-to-error ratio of 2:1.
Federer wins 6-0 and leads Murray one set to love.

I'm not sure what to say about this new "racing league." As you can see in this somewhat hokey promotional video, the graphics and sounds of the racing simulation and and the skills of the pilots — many of them civilian test pilots and military combat veterans — are impressive.

But the reality keeps slapping me in the face. It hurts! Ouch. Please stop that, Reality of the Situation.
That is to say, the races are not real! The entire league resides in a virtual reality. So unlike other motor sports that feature dazzling feats derring-do — Formula 1 racing, air shows, motocross, etc. — the Rocket Racing League lacks the life-or-death stakes that infuse the proceedings with interest. When one of these flimsy rocket racers inevitably crashes, it's nothing more than a complex computer process.
It's an odd position to take, to clamor for increased risk in a sport. Nevertheless, similar to a professional video gaming league, real physical risk is the most critically absent piece of the new league's puzzle.
— Max